Rewrite: Hidden Secrets
by Aoibhinn Croi
Summary: A young girl is attacked by a Chimera Anima, and Kisshu's reaction is surprising.  Who is this girl and what is her connection to Kisshu?
1. A New Mew?

**A re-write of my first ever fanfiction! This story brings back so many good memories. And remind****s of how obsessed I used to be with Tokyo Mew Mew. It also... brought to my attention how _horribly_ the original fanfiction was written. Granted, it was years ago, but... yeah. Since I'm bored and pretty much lacking in anything resembling a life now, I figured I might give re-writing this a shot. As of yet, I'm not sure if I'll be changing anything about the storyline. Maybe I'll add stuff. Dunno. I'm quite a lazy person. Anyways! Enjoy?**

_**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own these characters or Tokyo Mew Mew. D: They belong to Ikumi Mia. The OC, however, is mine (possesive cling).**

* * *

><p>As Ichigo ran down the pact dirt path of the park up to the cafe, her thoughts were elsewhere: Masaya. Far, far off in a dream land, where everything was him and everything was perfect. It made a giggle bubble up inside of her, despite being short on breath from sprinting the whole way. She was late for work... again. It was nothing new. It had come to be her weekend routine, actually. Her alarm would go off, perfectly timed as always, and she would, somehow, sleep over the obnoxious beeping until she had a mere few minutes to run about the house in a flurry of tasks. She would primp her looks for the day, shove some toast into her mouth in a rushed breakfast (in hindsight, probably unnecessary, due to the fact that she worked at a cafe full of pastries that Keiichiro would more than likely have no issues in letting her have there), and then make a mad dash for the hell she called work.<p>

_But no_, Ichigo shook her head to be rid of the thoughts. As long as she had Masaya, everything was perfect. _And so maybe I should tell him that I_... Her thoughts were cut short as the ground began to shake beneath her feet, making her stumble to regain balance. It subsided as quickly as it had come, and Ichigo blinked down at her feet in confusion. _ What was_...

Again, Ichigo's musings were stopped short, this time by the familiar door of the cafe smacking her square in the face and a small body crashing into her, sending them both toppling to the ground. Ichigo groaned under her breath, sitting up and rubbing her smarting nose as the voice of her would-be attacker reached her ears.

"Ichigo, transform!" Pudding piped up, realizing now who she had knocked into, but not pausing for the formalities of apologizing; there were more urgent things at hand. "Masha detected aliens just outside the park! It's a Chimera Anima!"

Ichigo stood, shaking off the shock of the moment as she grabbed for her pendant and let the heated, familiar feeling of her animal genes build up inside her. "Mew Mew Strawberry, metamorphose!" The words fell from her lips without needing to be thought of as the light of transformation wrapped itself around her and changed her into her battle attire.

Without another word, the Mews all rushed in the direction Masha was taking them. It was close, and Ichigo thought absently that it was the Chimera Anima that must have caused the small earthquake. _A big one... just what I need to start my already hectic day_, Ichigo thought regrettably, the monster coming into view as if just to confirm her dismayed thoughts.

The brat of the alien trio was floating cross-legged above it, an amused smirk in place and eyes focused down at his infused creation. Ichigo's gaze followed his to see that under the foot of the Chimera was... it was...

It was a girl.

She was young, from the look of it. Her face was still quite round with youth, and her body, or at least what was showing from underneath the monster, looked small and somewhat frail.

"Taruto!" Ichigo shouted, baring her teeth and flattening her dark cat ears out of angered instinct.

The alien boy's pointed ears perked up, eyes flitting in the direction of his name. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone playfully innocent as if he had no idea why the Mews were there or why he was being yelled at. His aloof act pulled the desired reaction.

"What do you think you're doing, hurting an innocent girl like that!" Ichigo demanded, taking a threatening step forward. This served to make the grin Taruto had to grow.

"I don't know," the boy said airily, shrugging his shoulders as if it meant nothing. "She was in the way. Besides, my Chimera is hungry." By the end of the sentence, his tone turned from innocence to dark amusement.

Ichigo's ear flicked in annoyance, eyes narrowing darkly. That was the final straw.

Without warning, Ichigo jumped at the alien boy, slamming him to the ground with a tackle and moving to try and get her hands around his neck. Taruto's small hands pushed at her arms, managing to keep those seeking hands _just_ off target. His worry did not last long, though, for soon the girl was lifted off of him by the Chimera Anima. "Let go!" she shouted, struggling against the crushing pressure of its claws. "You stupid alien brat! I won't forgive you!"

Mint dashed forward, bow at the ready. "Ribbon Mint Echo!" she called, summoning a shot to free the pink Mew. With an aggravated, deep roar, the Chimera stumbled back, Ichigo dropping from its distracted grip.

It was then that the air behind Taruto rippled, someone appearing along with it. The Mews tensed when Kisshu came into focus, but Ichigo lowered her weapon slightly when she spotted his expression and just who it was directed at. _He's glaring at... Taruto?_ Ichigo wondered.

"Taruto! Call off your Chimera! Right now!" Everyone, especially Taruto, stared and Kisshu in shock. He had never yelled at the boy... not like that. Kisshu floated down to the wounded girl on the ground, expression softening immediately into sadness and worry. Ichigo backed away nervously, weapon held back up at the ready. Ignoring her reaction, Kisshu knelt down, gathering the fragile silver-haired girl carefully into his arms to hold her. "What did you do to her?" he demanded, eyes sharpening coldly again to shoot a glare at his comrade.

"Wh..." Taruto blinked, momentarily taken aback. "What do you mean, what did I do to her!" he shouted back, automatically getting defensive. It was just some human girl! What was he being yelled at for?

Kisshu's eyes narrowed. "What did you do to her?" he repeated, voice just as cold as his eyes now.

Taruto landed by the other alien, lifted his hands to rest behind his head, and rolled his eyes up in feinted innocence. "I didn't do anything, but the Chimera fought her. For a human girl, she was actually pretty strong— " Taruto's explanation was cut short by Kisshu pushing him down.

"Why did you hurt her!" he yelled, only looking angrier by the second. Taruto scooted back a little, expression getting slightly fearful. If it came down to it, he probably would not be able to stand up to the older alien in a fight. But what was he so angry about? What was it about this girl that got him so bent out of shape? Taruto was about to open his mouth and voice his protests, but was silenced upon receiving that icy glare yet again. With a defeated sigh, the boy shrugged and warped his Chimera and himself away.

Kisshu's shoulders relaxed, letting his grip on the girl loosen a little now that the threat was gone. "Kitten," he muttered softly, turning to face Ichigo now, who was still standing at the ready, "could you... take care of her?"

Ichigo blinked, stunned. "U-uh... sure." she said hesitantly, reaching out to take her when Kisshu held the girl out to her. Just as quickly as he had come, Kisshu vanished, returning to where ever the aliens kept themselves. The pink Mew took that moment to glance down at the pale girl she now held. Why had Kisshu gotten so upset? Who was this girl? Where did she live? What was she doing, getting herself caught up in a fight with a Chimera Anima? All these questions and more flooded her mind as she stared down at the mystery girl.

"Any idea who she is?" Zakuro placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I don't know," Ichigo admitted, slowly shaking her head. "And how does she know Kisshu? Are they friends?" She looked up at Zakuro, though she didn't honestly expect the eldest Mew to know the answer. The others caught up to the two of them then.

"Ichigo! Are you all right?" Pudding asked, nearly bouncing up and down on the spot next to the pink Mew. She looked as if she wanted to jump up onto Ichigo and hug her in relief or something, but at least she knew better. The gaze she got from the little golden Mew promised a million questions in one glance, though.

"I'm fine," she answered, "but we need to get this girl back to the cafe. She might be wounded." With that, Ichigo straightened up and lifted the girl into a proper hold. The girl's lack of weight was a bit frightening, the pink Mew realized. Her strength was higher than normal from being in Mew form, she knew, but even then, the girl was near feather light. There was no struggle in carrying her back and into the cafe.

"Ichigo? Who is that?" Ryou enquired as he entered the main cafe area.

Ichigo huffed, shifting the girl in her hold a little. Now back to her regular self, while still light, the weight was tasking over time now. "We're not really sure. Kisshu asked me to take care of her." Ichigo huffed again, heading toward the stairs ahead of her question, "You have a spare room up this way, right? She needs to rest."

Ryou nodded, catching up to Ichigo and taking the girl from her to lead them in the right direction. Ichigo sighed a little at his seeming total lack of effort, but he was a guy, after all, and she was only a preteen girl, so she supposed it could not be helped.

Once in the room at the end of the hall, Ryou gently set the girl on the small bed by the window. When he was sure the girl was comfortable— or at least not in any obvious pain— he pulled a chair up for Ichigo and another for himself.

"So," he piped up after a few moments of silence, "how does Kisshu know her? And since when do you do favours for Kisshu anyway? Last I checked, you avoided him like a plague, complaining about over-the-top flirting or some such."

A pink blush made itself known on Ichigo's cheeks at Ryou's teasing. "Sh-shut up. I'm not sure how he knows her, but he seemed so upset at her being hurt. I... couldn't say no."

Ryou glanced up from the girl for the first time since picking her up and over at Ichigo, eyebrow raised in obvious doubt of the alien boy caring for anyone other than Ichigo herself. "Don't you have any clue why? They're not the type to worry about just anybody..." he said, eyes trailing back to the unconscious girl.

Ryou was about to stand and leave the room after it seemed she wasn't about to wake any time soon when a small movement from the girl made something catch his eye near her now exposed shoulder. "Ichigo," he said urgently, pointing to the lightly coloured mark on the girl's shoulder. "Isn't that the mark of a Mew Mew?"

Ichigo's eyes darted to where she was directed, gasping. "I-it is!"

* * *

><p><strong>Well! There you have it. Chapter one in all its... improvement? I'd like to think so, anyway. Originally a page and a half-ish, it is now about four pages (depending on your idea of fontsize, I guess). Reviews are love~ Love that nourishes my poor, deprived baby plot bunnies that still sleep in my brain. Really, I'm so lazy. I should write more of my ideas out instead of just dream about them to myself.**


	2. Just Who is She?

**This is a short chapter, I know. Buuuut... I want to try and stick to the original amount of chapters as the first one. At least while I'm still refraining from adding new content. If I do decide to do that at some point, it'll obviously change. Enjoy anyway!**

**No beta reader. Excuse my wonderful typos.**

_**Disclaimer**_**: Ikumi Mia owns them. D: I just make them do my bidding. Chocolate-chan is mine, though (cling).**

* * *

><p>Ryou was about to stand and leave the room after it seemed she wasn't about to wake any time soon when a small movement from the girl made something catch his eye near her now exposed shoulder. "Ichigo," he said urgently, pointing to the lightly coloured mark on the girl's shoulder. "Isn't that the mark of a Mew Mew?"<p>

Ichigo's eyes darted to where she was directed, gasping. "I-it is!"

At the sudden noise, the girl's eyes fluttered open, revealing captivating, ice-blue orbs. _Ah... where..._? She wondered, glancing at her surroundings blearily as she sat up. It wasn't until Ichigo spoke up that she became more aware of her company.

"A-ah, oops! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to wake you," Ichigo apologized, looking embarrassed. The response she received was a confused blink and blank stare.

"Who..." the girl began slowly, only to be spoken over by Ryou.

"Who are you? What is your name?" he asked, the formality of offering his own name first completely ignored. The girl flinched, staring up at him with the same confusion, and now a bit of fear.

"My name..." she spoke softly, eyes darting down to her hands that had subconsciously gripped themselves in the blankets in her lap. "My name is Shokora."

"Shokora? That's a yummy name," Ichigo blurted excitedly, earning a raised brow from Ryou.

"Very insightful... _comment_, Ichigo."

"Eh-heh~" Ichigo laughed uneasily, scratching the back of her head while a blush dusted her cheeks.

Ryou sighed and shook his head, standing. "You're at the Café Mew Mew," he informed the girl shortly, turning to leave the room.

Shokora blinked a few times, staring at the now closed door in bewilderment. "Who is he?" she asked, turning to Ichigo. "And who are you?"

Ichigo smiled, pointing to the door casually. "That grump back there, his name is Ryou. Don't mind him. He isn't exactly the type to be asking for friends. As for me, my name is Ichigo." She smiled even wider, pointing to herself as she spoke her name. "How do you know Kisshu? At least, from his reaction and him asking me to take care of you and all... I'm assuming you know him. Are you friends or something?"

Shokora straightened up quickly, eyes darting around the room in a frantic second search. "Kisshu? Where?" Her voice was desperate as she spoke, eyes returning to Ichigo when they did not find what they were searching for.

"Well... no, he's not here," Ichigo said uneasily, feeling guilty for the despairing expression it caused the girl to now wear. "I-it's not hopeless, though. I mean... those guys do pop up quite often," she offered, trying to cheer the girl up.

"Where is he? Can't you take me to him?" Shokora pleaded, eyes watering in the beginning of what would probably soon be tears.

"Sorry, but I... really don't know where they go off to after—" Ichigo bit her lip, stopping mid-sentence. Did the girl know what they did? That they were aliens? That they were trying to get rid of humanity? Would it frighten her? "I don't know where he is. I'm sorry."

Shokora's eyes dulled, gaze falling back to her lap sullenly. "Ah..."

"U-um... well, anyway, what about my question earlier? Could you answer that?" Ichigo asked, trying to keep away from awkward silences.

Shokora took a moment, as if considering.

"He's... my brother. He's my big brother," she said sadly. "Please, I have to see him! There has to be something— anything! A hint as to where he is? Some way to contact him? I-I can search on my own! I have to find him... I have to!"

Ichigo stared back at the girl, her heart clenching with sympathy. Sure, Kisshu was rude at times, and yeah, he drove the pink Mew insane, but for a girl so sweet to care so much, there had to be good things about him. Ichigo just never took the time to look for it, instantly marking him as a heartless enemy...

"Come with me," Ichigo said firmly, suddenly reaching to take Shokora's hand and help her up off the bed. "We'll try to find him. We can search together," she said, sounding far more confident than she actually felt. But at least it made the girl smile with a glimmer of hope. Someone would help her. She was not alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah. Dx Way short. Next will be longer, I promise. ;;<strong>

**Reviews are love and inspiration!**


	3. Reunion

**I actually thought this chapter would turn out longer than it did. Oh well.**

**Some things changed about this chapter, but nothing all that major. The moment is a bit more serious than it seemed in the first version. Probably a good thing, considering what it's about. Not much else to say beyond that. Hopefully this was another improvement.**

**No beta. Enjoy the lovely typos.**

_**Disclaimer**_**: Ikumi Mia still owns them. D: I still mess with them. Business as usual. Masaya ****_still_ exists. Ffffffffffffff— Let Kisshu win already. Shokora, my Chocolate-chan, forever belongs to me. Also: I wonder if I should draw her? I always wonder what sort of image people are getting of her while reading this.**

* * *

><p>Ichigo wondered just what she was doing after bursting out of the Café Mew Mew with Shokora in tow, but did not slow her pace. She did not want the girl to be discouraged. But just how was she going to find Kisshu? For all she knew, the alien boy might not even be in the same <em>dimension<em>, or something ridiculous like that. The images of how crushed Shokora had looked, though, came flooding back to her mind and she shook her head to get rid of any hesitant thoughts. They would find him; they had to!

Shokora closed her eyes, hand tightening around Ichigo's as they ran to be sure she would not trip, and tried to sense any presence of her brother. _Even the slightest trace... anything, please!_ Shokora thought desperately, her free hand clenching over her heart. _Big brother, where are you?_

They reached the park area in no time, Ichigo's sudden halt making Shokora bump into her and snap her eyes back open. "I-I'm sorry!" She apologized hastily.

Ichigo glanced down at her, smiled, and let a small giggle escape. She was so cute! How could such a sweet thing be related to... to... Ichigo shook her head. "Nah, it's okay," she reassured, then turned to look around the park. "Okay. This is where we last saw him... so," Ichigo thought aloud, scratching the back of her head. "But I wonder if he'd even come back to the same— "

"Kitten? What are you doing here?" A taunting voice asked from behind, making Ichigo jump with a startled 'nya!'

"K-Kisshu!" She exclaimed breathlessly.

"That would be my name," he confirmed cheekily, nodding. "Again, though," he continued, landing solidly on the pact dirt instead of hovering, "what are you doing here?"

Ichigo took only a second to recover, then reached behind her to pull Shokora into view. "She said you're her brother. Is that true? Why didn't you say something? You don't get bonus points for being a mystery, Kisshu," she growled, suddenly feeling the irritation of having such a major fact kept from her.

Kisshu froze, staring down at the trembling, though just as shocked, silver-haired girl. _The girl from the park... so I was right. It _was_ her._

Ice blue orbs began to well with tears, Shokora's rigid limbs taking a cautious step forward. "Big brother?" She asked slowly, having seen one too many hallucinations of the boy in her long, tiresome search. It caused her so much pain, so much heart break each time the image would shatter if she stepped just a little too close or when her shaking hands tried to make contact with it. Another step forward without him disappearing made the girl choke out a sob of relief and she ran forward, thrusting herself into his arms. "Big brother," she cried, burying her face in his chest. "Big brother, I thought you were gone forever when you left!"

Kisshu slowly came back to reality, his arms wrapping themselves around the sobbing girl securely without having to think about it. "I'm... here. Don't cry," he soothed, staring down at her as he ran his fingers gently through the familiar, waving silver tresses. "I don't want to see you crying the first time I get to be with you in so long."

Shokora shook her head immediately, continuing to let her tears flow freely as she hugged herself to him even tighter. "I thought I would never see you again, big brother," she said softly, voice managing to crack even in a near whisper.

Ichigo smiled tenderly at the scene from where she stood, having to reach up and brush away a small tear. Whether it was the infuriating Kisshu or not, reunions made her heart swell in empathy. She had already come to love the small girl so much, it hardly mattered who it was she was getting to see again.

Kisshu looked over at Ichigo, his golden eyes tender as the Mew had ever seen them. For some reason, her heart began to race as she stared back. Despite the new expression, there was also something... different there. She could not tell what, it was just... different.

Pulling her eyes away from him, she turned to make her way back to the café. Ryou and Keiichiro would doubtlessly have questions, and Ichigo would need to answer them as best she could. She felt a little sad to be leaving the silver-haired girl behind, though. No matter how few words they had exchanged, or how little time they had spent together (consciously, at least), Ichigo had begun to feel an elder sisterly love for the girl. Would she ever see her again, at least?

After only managing a few steps back down along the path, a hand grabs her by the wrist to stop her. "Kitten," she heard Kisshu breathe softly, making her wonder if maybe she had only imagined it. But before she could say anything, she was spun around and felt cool lips press against hers.

Ichigo blinked wildly, a scarlet blush sweeping across her cheeks. _Wh... what is with this guy! Why can't he just take no for an answer!_ Her frantic thoughts buzzed inside her head, making the already dizzy Mew feel as if she would fall over if not for Kisshu's hand— previously at her wrist— holding her lightly by her upper arm. _And why... haven't I pulled away?_ Strangely, she felt no revulsion like the time he had kissed her before. She did not _want_ to pull away this time or to yell at him. Not this time.

Shokora stared at her brother and her new found friend in surprise, cheeks tinting pink at such a display. _W-wow. Big brother must... like her a lot._ A soft smile gracing her lips at the thought, she placed her hands behind her back and leaned against the nearby tree to let them have their moment.

Ichigo breaks away from him, letting her breathing and heart beat settle back to normal while she crashed back to reality. "K-Kisshu, how many times do I have to tell you?" She demanded, thoroughly embarrassed at herself.

At this, Kisshu grinned, hands resting on the back of his head in a relaxed manner while he gave a long 'hmm,' of mock thought. "How ever many times you want, Kitten. It's not gonna change a thing," he said, teasing with a wink. Ichigo's heart went aflutter again against her will.

Turning away to calm herself, she sighed in exasperation and shook her head. She was never good at dealing with his impish antics. "So, now what are you going to do? What's going to happen with Shokora?" She asked, only returning her gaze to him once she was sure the colour of her cheeks were back to normal at least.

It was Kisshu's turn to sigh this time, scratching his head in thought. "Ahh, well... I can't bring her back to— well, _there_," he said in an awkward finish. "Pai and Taruto would kill her.

Shokora gasped, shocked blue orbs snapping up to her elder brother. "B-brother, what sort of friends do you have? I-I thought people said Mr. Pai was collected and intelligent. Why would he do such a thing?"

"Shokora, you're not even supposed to be on Earth right now. Technically you're breaking the law by being here."

"Don't send me back!" She reached forward to grasp one of his hands. "I don't want to! Let me stay here with you! I don't want to be alone again..."

"Anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter at this point. What's done is done. Ichigo, do you think she could work with you at that pink building? She's a hard worker, and she'll need to have some sort of money if she's going to be living somewhere."

Ichigo blinked, a bit taken aback that he had not called her by that "kitten" pet name. "She won't need money," she said after a moment, shaking her head. "I'm sure Ryou can lend her that room upstairs in the café. But if she still wants to work, I could always use the help." She pointed over her shoulder in the general direction of Café Mew Mew, smiling invitingly. There was no need to say goodbye to Shokora! She felt elated.

Shokora nodded in acknowledgement and appreciation. "Of course. I'll work there as a thank you for being given a place to stay.

While Shokora's attention was off him, Kisshu nodded to Ichigo and teleported himself away. The silver-haired girl gave a soft cry of protest before falling silent and letting her hair fall forward and veil her face. She felt empty the instant he vanished. It was not quite as painful as the times those false images had disappeared... but she still hated it. He was gone again. When would she be able to see him next? Tomorrow? Days? Perhaps— she winced— weeks? "Big brother..."

Ichigo reached out and gently took Shokora's hand in her own, leading the girl back toward the café. "Come on, let's go. We can get you your uniform, then you can officially be a fellow worker! I'll definitely be counting on you. The others aren't always quite... reliable."

Shokora simply nodded, following obediently with her head still lowered. The words Ichigo was saying were not really reaching her, even as she continued. She did not want to be away from Kisshu again. It was hurting her. He was always the one she loved and depended on, neither of them really having any other family to rely on. _Big brother... don't disappear again. I need you._

Ryou was there in the main part of the café waiting for their return, evidently having already gotten rid of all the customers for the day. "Ichigo," he called when he noticed they were back, "where did you and Shokora go? You shouldn't drag a person who just regained consciousness around places. She looks worse off than before."

"It's none of your business," Ichigo huffed, sticking her tongue out at him as she pulled Shokora along with her to the back of the café. Apparently he had no interest in following.

Ichigo began rummaging through a few boxes in search of another uniform. When her fingers finally brushed fabric, she gripped it and pulled what was, thankfully, a spare uniform as she had hoped. "Hmm... do you think it'll fit?" She asked, holding the uniform out in front of Shokora as if inspecting.

Shokora just nodded silently, reaching out to take the uniform and headed towards the washroom Ichigo pointed out for her.

Ichigo smiled a little uneasily and then moved to lean against the door frame to wait _I never really stopped to consider the idea of Kisshu having family... especially not a sister. I wonder what it must be like for him. Not being able to see his family every day like I do. To be alone except for two others of his kind who... are they even friends?_ Ichigo wondered sadly, lifting her gaze from the floor up to the ceiling. _Kisshu..._

* * *

><p><strong>Well, then! Accidentally took a nap part way through that, so I hope it didn't show any obvious signs of pause and continue anywhere in there. Update should beee... soon-ish.<strong>

**Reviews are love and inspiration, as always!**


End file.
